Optical readers and laser scanners used for reading and decoding bar code symbols to extract useful information are known. Many code readers and scanners are used to read known symbologies, such as UPC, EAN, JAN and similar codes, to provide information typically retrieved by converting such code symbols with data processing and computing devices. Optical readers and laser scanners are used in a variety of different information collection applications, and are often used in conjunction with point-of-sale systems. Such systems typically make code readers and scanners available to consumers for self-service and self-checkout activities on a temporary basis, while consumers are present at a retailer site. In many instances, such code readers and scanners, particularly laser scanners, are portable, hand-held devices having dimensions similar to hand-held electrical tools that can be, in many instances, bulky and difficult to manipulate manually during scanning of bar codes printed on articles. In addition, laser scanners can be relatively expensive due to manufacturing costs and costs associated with regulatory compliance of laser scan engines.
It is desirable to use bar code symbologies for retrieval and management of different types of information due to the standardized coding technologies available and the ease with which bar code data can be retrieved. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an optical bar code scanner that is inexpensive and economical for any consumer to purchase and to own for his/her personal use in a variety of different applications. It is also desirable to provide a bar code scanner having certain properties whereby the scanner, like a credit card or an ATM card, can identify a consumer to a data processing or computing system to not only retrieve bar code data, but to identify a consumer to the system for further applications.